Former St. Marys Patient Walks For A Cause

In the spirit of giving back, Zachary Portnoy, a former patient at St. Marys Healthcare System for Children, walked to help raise money for the hospital, raising more than $12,000.
The seven-year-old, along with family members, accumulated the highest individual walk donations in this years St. Marys Annual Walk. And in return for his altruism, jetBlue Airways, a long-time supporter of St. Marys, donated two round-trip tickets to Florida to send the Portnoy family to Disney World.
Just last year, following surgery at another area hospital to remove a brain tumor, Portnoy entered St. Marys after suffering a stroke which left him in a coma and unable to use his arms or legs. Under the constant care and supervision of the supportive and professional staff at St. Marys, he regained consciousness and began an intensive regimen of physical therapy to help retrain him to walk independently.
Shortly after being released, he regained the ability to walk, and with continued care from the organizations dedicated physical therapy home care providers, he also relearned basic eating and drinking skills. Only seven months after his admission to St. Marys, Portnoy was home, walking and talking with his family.
"I credit St. Marys with Zacharys life," said Robin Portnoy, his mother. "They took such wonderful care of Zachary. They taught him how to eat and drink again. They helped a child that other doctors said would never wake up or have any kind of life."
Today he enjoys the life of a happy normal young boy, playing with his parents, twin brother and younger brothers.
St. Marys Healthcare System for Children, nationally and internationally renowned, is the largest provider of complex medical care and rehabilitation for children with serious and/or life-threatening conditions in New York State.
For more information about St. Marys full-range and fully integrated services, visit their website at www.stmaryskids.org.
toni@queenscourier.com